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Student arrested for planned gas attack on Pope's visit

Spanish police have arrested a chemistry student who was suspected of planning a gas attack against protesters in opposition to a visit by Pope Benedict XVI.

The demonstration against the arrival of the pontiff was planned for Madrid last night but authorities acted beforehand after monitoring militant activity online. In a statement, police said that the man had planned to attack anti-Pope protesters with "suffocating gases" and other chemicals, the Daily Mail reports.

The statement did not mention if police have confiscated chemicals that could be used in an attack.

The suspected arrested was a 24-year-old Mexican student specializing in organic chemistry named Jose Perez Bautista. Bautista was in Madrid studying with Spain's top government research body, the Spanish National Research Council and his office at the facility was searched.

While thousands of pilgrims from all over the world are on hand to attend the papal visit, the visit is costing approximately 50 million euros to stage, the Daily Mail reports. Protesters are angry that the government is essentially spending taxpayer's money on the visit by perks such as discount subway and bus tickets to pilgrims and granting tax breaks to corporate sponsors.

Police have 72 hours from the time of the arrest to take the detainee before a judge at the National Court for questioning or release him. The court official said that Bautista had been making threats over the internet against people in Spain opposed to the Pope's visit.